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419   

Jerusalem

Then at 11.30 Oleisky called for me together with Joseph Shapiro, president of Ort in Israel for 35 years & also Minister or Director of electric power in the land. We drove to Jerusalem, a wonderful road, wonderful landscape, the fertile landscape, & the reclaimed land, a miracle of work, clearing the stones & making a bit of civilization here & there amidst the rocky plains. Then, too, the old stone houses of the villages in the distance, many of them old & deserted Arab towns, the color of their stones blending into the hills & at one with the landscape. Nearing Jerusalem, on the road Bab el Vat, I saw the remains of rusty, burnt down jeeps that had been destroyed by the Arabs during the war. They were left there as reminders, symbols of the lives that were lost in the struggle for survival. As we drove along, I marveled at the accomplishments that the Israelis have wrought on the land & in the cities. Tel Aviv


420  

Jerusalem

grows on me. The tremendous building program, the fine, modern houses, the Histadrut building, with a wonderful view of the city from its terraces, the thriving wonder of it all.

Jerusalem has its own stern, sad beauty. Its' stone houses (the British, even, did not permit the use of any but native stone to maintain the character & beauty of the city) The Israelis have not been so letter perfect. It was explained to me that the stone is very expensive, firstly & that time has been an important factor. They had to hury so with the building so that flat white stucco has been used quite often instead. A pity to destroy the beauty of it. After all, Jerusalem is historic, there are many beautiful churches of all nations.

What is wonderful is to see the religious Jews in their 'capots' & 'peyes' looking as though they belong there. Their costume fitting & proper. Strong, sturdy, earthy Jews, reminding